a special edition of ‘Al-Maarakah’ (the battle) newsletter issued by
Lebanese, Palestinian, and Arab writers and journalists in Beirut during the
invasion of Lebanon
GLORY TO THE RESISTANCE
THIS IS THE BATTLE - Mahmoud Hamza Al-Bashtawi
We may differ in our definitions of victory, but it’s hard to disagree on
the definitions of defeat. Defeat lies in the destruction of the absolute
belief in the justice of the cause, despite the injustice of the battle.
So the battle continues; it doesn’t need us but wants us. Our love for life,
even if one-sided, is growing, and the reserve of our smiles unmatched by
any reserve of oil or gas.
And for invaders a promised defeat.
What is happening to ou people in Gaza strongly reminds us of what happened
in Beirut 82.
It forces us to ask questions about the past and the enemy who relentlessly
advances its brutality against our people.
In this newspaper, we aim to connect the events and state that the history
of our struggle is one, and its inference must be preserved and read so they
are never forgotten.
The civilised world is dying and trying to drowns us with it, as it has
never understood the heroism our people have shown for the sake of the land
in these bitter times — times of podium hero’s and books of self-love.
Our most lethal weapon is the human experience, so we must remain true to
ourselves.
We must not seek revenge but forgive all Arabs, for not all of us are heroes
of our own stories. We must continue, set sail, and reach a new chapter in
our story. The question remains: Can we unite around the narrative?
The Arabs have loved us as martyrs, prisoners, and refugees, while the West
has become addicted to us as research material and experimental subjects for
all kinds of weapons and philosophies. Whether the Arabs win or the enemy
does, war is a series of battles, and this one will not be the last.
A HOMELAND CALLED WAR A PEOPLE NAMED VICORY - Zain Al-Abidin Fouad
…
On the first day, the savage raid on the capital, the glass of the martyrs’
children’s house shattered, named Alffal Alsomoud. Fires broke out near the
house, bombs exploded around it, innocent screams of terror rose from a
number of children under the age of three, everyone rushed to the shelters.
A girl, her name, I remember, was Jamila, gathered the children along the
shelter walls, she started singing, yes singing, her voice rose, a wide
chorus of children’s voices joined her, the song reached the sky, the
singing defeated the plane, the anthem echoed by the children’s throats,
stood up to the raid; I discovered a people that breeds fighters and
leaders, I discovered at that moment that I hold a new nationality, and that
I belong to a people known by the enemy, a people named Victory, inhabiting
another new homeland, called War.
LET US BEWARE OF JUSTIFYING INTELLECTUALS AND FALSE HEROICS - Adly Fakhry
[The land belongs to those who drown, and the god belongs to the craftsman],
and the battle belongs to those who lived it.
When the war broke out in Lebanon… dark visions filled the hearts and minds
of the defeatists… those who left the battlefield… and fled… fled, yes…
[fled] is the correct expression without any [tactical] or [strategic]
theorising… This flight is especially evident among the intellectuals…
writers… poets… and artists… those who filled us with [theories] about
struggle… the masses… and… and… and many other words… Then in the end, they
fled… fled initially without justification… and when they felt — as they
imagined — safe… they began to search for justifications and kept them
within themselves… and when things began to change… and the battle dragged
on… and true popular resistance materialised, and out of fear of the [tables
turing] the justifications began to emerge. They fled… out of hear of a
tomorrow that they imagined [black] due to their pessimistic defeatist
outlook… and due to their fake revolutionary stance that was riding the
prevailing waves… Then they justified their flight… again out of fear of
tomorrow, which began to show signs that it would favour struggle and
resistance… so they justified their escape opportunistically… so as not to
miss the chance to reap the benefits of tomorrow… A cowardly, defeatist
escape. And a cowardly, defeatist justification…
...
As Abu Ammar said, the masses have the right to ask questions today, hold
accountable tomorrow, and punish the day after tomorrow.
Friday, July 16, 1982 — The forty-third day of the battle.